Remember Mawanay? Former Senate witness nabbed for estafa

Controversial Senate witness Angelo “Ador” Mawanay was arrested on Thursday in Pasig City for allegedly duping a doctor in a P12-million medical supply deal.

Mawanay, whose real name is Antonio Luis Marquez, 47, was arrested late Wednesday afternoon by teams of the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) outside his home in Greenwood Subdivision, Pasig City.

According to the PNP-CIDG, Mawanay’s arrest stemmed from an estafa complaint filed against him by a physician over a P12-million online transaction for the delivery of medical supplies including 200,000 face masks.

Mawanay allegedly made no delivery, which prompted the doctor to seek police assistance.

Based on the PNP-CIDG’s investigation, the former whistleblower had been offering medical supplies for sale online with the assurance of speedy delivery.

However, police investigators claimed none of the transactions with him were completed as Mawanay blocked the numbers of clients who already paid for their orders.

In 2001, Mawanay, who previously claimed to be a former agent of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force under the Estrada administration, testified in the Senate to affirm a slew of allegations against Senator Panfilo Lacson and other senators.

He retracted two years later, claiming that he was under pressure, and was subsequently removed from the government’s witness protection program.